The apex child rights body, NCPCR, has issued a notice to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over alleged use of children in election campaigning.
The details of the complaint or the complainant were not provided to the media.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) stated that the complaint pertains to a video in which children were seen using abusive language in front of Gandhi.
In its notice, the child rights body objected to the use of children in election campaigning.
It also underlined that the Bombay High Court in an order on August 4, 2014, said that children should not be included in election campaigns.
The body has asked the Congress general secretary to provide details, within three days, of the names and addresses of these children, places where sloganeering took place and how the children reached there.
In a video which has gone viral, Congress General Secretary Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is seen with a group of children shouting “chowkidar chor hai (“the watchman is a thief”), the phrase used by Congress President Rahul Gandhi to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal.
BJP’s Smriti Irani who is contesting from Amethi had earlier lashed out at Priyanka Gandhi over the video.
“Doesn’t Mrs Vadra know that you can’t use children for political activity? What values are you giving to children? I’d say that cultured families should keep their children away from such a person,” Irani had said.
“Congress party in UP is fighting a battle to lose. We gave chase to Congress president so much so that he had to literally run even after SP-BSP pledged support on this seat (Amethi). This is not a fight between BJP and Congress, this is a genuine fight between people and a ‘lapata sansad’ (missing member of parliament),” she added.
However, the longer version of the video shared by Irani shows Vadra cupping her mouth and along with the other local leaders stopping the children from using the phrase.
(With PTI inputs)